Lucentis to be Available on NHS

Britain's health regulator has reversed its initial decision against Novartis' eye drug, Lucentis, and said that it should be made available for patients suffering from diabetic macular edema after the Swiss pharmaceutical giant agreed to provide the drug to NHS on a discounted rate.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) had first rejected Lucentis back in November 2011 but revealed that it changed its decision following another approach by Novartis.

The company will be supplying the drug to NHS under the Patient Access Scheme and new analyses show that the drug is more effective in a sub-group of people with DMO.

NICE's decision was backed by Diabetes UK with its chief executive, Barbara Young saying, "We are delighted that NICE have reconsidered their previous decision, and that this draft guidance recommends that Lucentis is made available on the NHS, as this would mean more people with diabetes would have a better opportunity to preserve and possibly improve their vision."

Source: Medindia